


Wrong Number

by e_cat



Series: Accidental First Meetings [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Meeting, M/M, Mistakes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-22
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-03-19 00:40:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3589800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/e_cat/pseuds/e_cat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will accidentally dials Nico's number.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sorry - Wrong Number

**Author's Note:**

> There are phone numbers in this story, and I find it disruptive to the willing suspension of disbelief when 555 numbers are used, so the numbers look real. That said, in regards to these phone numbers: **I MADE THEM UP. DO NOT TRY TO CALL THESE NUMBERS.**
> 
> Characters belong to Rick Riordan.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico has a message from a wrong number.

The first thing Nico did when he got out of his Western Civilizations class was glare at his phone. The stupid thing had started ringing right in the middle of a particularly interesting lecture on the lasting influences of Greek society. Of course, Nico had put it on vibrate before class began (in spite of the fact that no one ever called him, and if they did, it wasn’t during class), but it had still been very distracting to have his phone vibrating against his leg.

Nico didn’t recognize the number that had called, but there was a voicemail. Probably someone trying to sell something. Nico decided to listen to it anyways.

“Hello, Mr. Stoll,” a young, cheerful male voice said. Nico grimaced – a wrong number. Well, these could be entertaining sometimes; he kept listening. “This is Dr. Asclepius’s office calling to remind you that you have an appointment tomorrow at 11 to remove your cast. If you need to cancel for any reason, you can call back at 662-37 – oh. I, um, just realized that this is the wrong number. Huh.” There was a pause, and Nico realized that he was smiling, because that _oh_ was somehow extremely cute.

“Well,” the man continued, “you can still call back to yell at me, if you want. But you should probably call my cell phone, because I’m not the only person who works here. So, that number is 512-442-7876. Okay. Call me if you want. Sorry. Bye.”

The message clicked to an end, and Nico was still smiling, because it was just so cute how this boy sang his phone number, and – _no,_ Nico was not developing a crush based off a wrong-number voicemail. That would be even more ridiculous than his childhood crush on his sister’s friend’s boyfriend.

“Hey, Nico!” An arm was suddenly slung around Nico’s shoulder.

Nico sighed; think of the devil, and he shall appear – and he’ll bring friends. “Jason. Percy,” Nico greeted, shoving Jason’s arm off his shoulder. “What are you guys doing here? Don’t you have class?”

Percy grinned widely. “Cancelled!” he announced as if it was a personal accomplishment. He frowned slightly. “Would have been nice to know that before we got all the way over here, though…”

“What about you?” Jason asked. “Where were you – Western Civ?” Nico nodded. “You done for the day?”

Nico shook his head. “I’ve got class again at 6.”

“What’s got you so smiley, then?” Percy questioned. Nico raised an eyebrow, and Percy bit his lip thoughtfully. “Well, less scowl-y than usual, at least,” he amended.

“Nothing,” he mumbled. He could feel Jason studying him, so he added, “I got a wrong number call; it was entertaining.”

Percy nodded, and then went on to complain in the most boring way possible about a wrong number call he’d recently gotten. Jason interrupted him with a reminder that they had told Piper and Annabeth they would meet up with them. Nico was eternally grateful… until Jason paused to whisper in his ear, “You should call back and ask him out.”

Nico blushed so badly that he thought he might spontaneously combust. Actually, that would be far better than trying to come up with a response to that. Plus, he might manage to kill his so-called friend in the process.

Jason laughed as he walked away with Percy. “Think about it, Nico,” he called back. Nico scowled after him, but, as soon as the two of them were out of sight, he pulled out his phone and a pen, and played the message again.


	2. Call Me Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will's earlier mistake comes back to haunt him, in the form of a call from a guy with a cute voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was being lazy about place names, so I copied that thing where Olympus and Elysium are establishments.

Will’s day had not been going particularly well. First of all, his English professor had kept the class fifteen minutes late just so he could confuse them some more. Then, since he’d gotten out late, Will had had to skip his indulgent coffee, and had still ended up late to work. Then, of course, he’d called the wrong number and gotten through basically the whole message before he’d realized it – and that, kids, is why you don’t give out a patient’s personal information over the phone. And now he had a 6-9 class to prepare for. That was never fun.

But that was all before his phone rang.

“Hello,” Will greeted the unknown caller cheerfully. Even if he wasn’t having a good day, happiness – even fake happiness – was contagious, and Will definitely believed in spreading a little joy.

“Um, hi,” said the voice on the other end of the phone. “Are you the guy who called me by accident earlier? About getting a cast removed?”

Will’s mood dropped a fraction of an inch lower. “Uh, yeah. Sorry about that.” He wasn’t exactly sure what to say. He wasn’t even sure what exactly had possessed him to leave his number for this guy to call back. Honestly, he hadn’t even expected him to. “I’m Will, by the way,” he added. “In case you needed my name to complain to your friends about me.”

“Okay, Will,” the guy on the other end said. “Um, you should be more careful about phone numbers if you work at a doctor’s office.”

Will laughed. “Is that it? You didn’t even raise your voice.”

The other guy made a sound of discomfort. “I normally don’t need to. I’m far more intimidating in person.”

Will smirked. “I’m sure you are,” he agreed. “Why don’t we meet for dinner, then?” _Where is this confidence coming from?_ “You can intimidate me in person, and I can pay for dinner to make up for using your minutes. Wait – you _are_ in New York City, right? I mean, I know I got the area code right, but I brought my phone when I moved here, so the area code is different, and –”

“Yes,” the other guy interrupted. “I live in New York.”

“Oh, good. So, dinner?”

There was silence for a minute. “I have class at 6,” he said hesitantly.

“So do I!” Will exclaimed. “What college are you at?”

Another hesitation. “Listen, Will, you seem nice enough, but I’m not entirely sure I should be giving out my personal information to a random guy over the phone.”

Will didn’t think that what college this guy attended was really personal information, considering each college had thousands of students, but Will wasn’t going to press it if it made him uncomfortable. “Okay,” he said. “Can I at least get your name? Or do I have to keep calling you ‘That guy with the rude outgoing message?’”

“My outgoing message is not rude!” he objected.

Will laughed. “I believe it was something along the lines of ‘If you’re hearing this, it means I don’t want to talk to you, so stop bothering me.’”

“Well, it’s true! If I want to talk to you, I’ll pick up the phone.”

“Okay, truth-boy –”

“Don’t call me that.” There was a pause. “My name is Nico.”

Will grinned in triumph. “Okay, Nico. So, where do we stand on dinner?”

There was silence for so long that Will wondered if Nico had simply hung up on him. The thought made him strangely sad. But then a distorted sigh sounded in Will’s ear. “I guess it would be stupid to turn down a free meal. Do you know that diner on 3rd? The one with the burgers that everyone keep saying are _‘life changing?’”_

Will laughed. “So you go to Olympus?”

“I didn’t say that!” Nico exclaimed. “How did you know that?”

“Relax,” Will said. “Only Olympian students go to Elysium. And they’re the only ones who talk about those burgers like it’s a religion. Don’t worry; I go to Olympus, too.”

“Really?” Nico sounded surprised. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around…”

Will laughed again, and suddenly realized that his mood had greatly improved. “You wouldn’t know if you had. We haven’t actually met, you know. You have absolutely no idea what I look like, and vice versa. Except that you’re apparently very intimidating.”

Nico huffed in a way that made Will think he was rolling his eyes. “Whatever, Will. Meet me for dinner in ten minutes. I’m going to hang up now, because we’re not going to have time to eat otherwise.”

“Wait! How am I going to find you?” Will called into the phone, but Nico had already ended the call. Will sighed. Whatever magic had been worked on his mood, it seemed to have disappeared. He shifted his overly-stuffed backpack on his shoulders and began the trek towards Elysium.


	3. Let's Meet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico and Will meet up for dinner before class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may not have been in the best mood when I started this chapter, so there's a little bit of introspection on Nico feeling out-of-place and such.

Nico sat anxiously at a corner table in the Elysium diner. The place was full of people, on dates or just chatting with friends, passing time before 6:00 classes. Nico was the only one alone.

That was why he didn’t come here a lot; he didn’t like feeling so out of place, watching everyone else have fun while he couldn’t seem to do the same. He couldn’t seem to shake his anxieties about what people thought of him, or whether he actually belonged. He’d almost dropped out of college three times already.

Meanwhile, everyone around him seemed to enjoy themselves constantly. They never seemed to worry about these things. It was only Nico who couldn’t seem to connect himself to the rest of the world.

And yet, here he was, getting dinner with a guy he’d never even met. That is, if this Will character actually showed up. Nico couldn’t shake the concern that this was all some joke, constructed by cruel classmates or by the Fates, to have Nico get stood up on what probably wasn’t even a date.

 _Definitely,_ Nico reminded himself. This definitely wasn’t a date. Because this was some random idiot who’d called him by accident, and almost certainly wasn’t gay. Because, even if he was gay, Will would take one look at him, and laugh. Because Nico’s glare was only intimidating once you got past his height, and his smiles were rare, even if Hazel said that he looked handsome when he smiled.

The bell jingled above the door, and Nico glanced up to see a tall blonde guy come in. _He’s hot,_ Nico thought, and then immediately chided himself for ogling random guys he didn’t have a chance with.

But then the blonde guy started for his table. _He’s not… no! That can’t be Will! Fate wouldn’t be that cruel, would it?_ The blonde guy smiled at Nico. “Are you Nico? I’m Will Solace.” Nico's heart jumped. _Fuck._

Nico cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. I’m Nico di Angelo. How did you know it was me?”

Will shrugged and sat down across from him. “Well, you did say you looked intimidating in person, and you’re pretty much staring down anyone who glances in your direction.” Nico almost blushed, and had to remind himself that he wanted to have that reputation. “Plus,” Will added, “you’re the only one here alone.”

“Ah,” Nico said. “So, um…”

“Yeah,” Will agreed. “This is kind of awkward, huh?”

Nico laughed, surprising himself. “Well, that’s your fault. You’re the one who called me about removing a cast I don’t even have.”

Will smiled. “You didn’t have to call me back.”

Nico looked down at the table. “Right,” he mumbled.

“But,” Will continued, “I’m glad you did.”

Nico looked up in surprise. “Really?”

Will shrugged. “Well, yeah. Now I know that my calling you by accident didn’t completely ruin your life.”

“It _did_ distract me during class,” Nico complained. “I was really enjoying that class!”

“Sorry,” Will said immediately. “What class was it?”

“Western Civilizations,” Nico mumbled, looking down at the table again. He hadn’t meant to mention how much he enjoyed the class. He was already short and awkward, and his dark wardrobe contrasted strongly with Will’s; he didn’t need the other boy to know how much of a nerd he was, too. “I’m a history major,” he added, not that that helped.

Will shuddered. “I can’t imagine enjoying history!” he said. “You must be really smart to remember all those facts.”

Nico looked up. “What are you majoring in?”

Will looked sheepish. “Biology. I’m pre-med.”

Nico laughed. “And you’re impressed with how many facts _I_ have to memorize?”

Will shrugged. “Sciences come easy to me, I guess.”

Nico shook his head. “That is easily the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. No one finds Biology _easy.”_

“Well, my entire family is made up of doctors. I work as a receptionist for my half-brother’s practice, actually – that’s where I called you from.”

Nico nodded with a smirk. “Ah, so that’s why they haven’t fired you for being completely incompetent at reading phone numbers.”

Will looked at his hands, but Nico could see that he was smiling. “I want to defend myself, but it’s actually kind of miraculous that I don’t dial the wrong number more often. You see, I copy the numbers down on post-it notes, and, well, my 1s kind of look like 7s. And my 4s look like 9s. And my 5s look like 6s. And my 3s look like 2s. And –”

Nico laughed. “Just how many numbers were you off by when you called me, Solace?”

Will blushed, and – _fuck, if he wasn’t cute as hell when he did that…_ “Well, like I said, I got the area code right. But, other than that? I think I punched in two digits correctly.”

Nico laughed again. “So, when you said that you don’t call the wrong number a lot…?”

Will shrugged. “I don’t, though. Only a couple times, and I’ve only ever been off by one digit before!”

Nico smirked. “Sure, Will. I’m so sure.”

“It’s true!” Will objected. He leaned across the table, and Nico almost freaked out. “To tell you the truth, I think that fate had a lot to do with me calling you by accident,” he said conspiratorially before withdrawing.

“F – fate?” Nico repeated.

Will shrugged. “Well, yeah. I mean, what are the odds that I would misread so many numbers, and just happen to call a guy who attends the same college as me?”

Nico narrowed his eyes. “Not very good,” he agreed. “Are you stalking me, or something?”

Will laughed. “Someone thinks an awful lot of himself!” Nico blushed. “Besides, I have a feeling that if I wanted to go out with you, I could just ask.”

Nico’s blush deepened. “You seem to think a lot of yourself, too,” he mumbled, staring at the table.

Will smiled. “We’re perfect for each other, then.” Nico looked up, studying him – Will seemed to be sincere. Nico wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

They were quiet for a minute, but it was a nice kind of silence. Companionable. “Hey, Nico,” Will said finally.

“Yeah?”

“You know we haven’t even ordered any food yet, right?”

Nico looked up, his cheeks reddening. He had completely forgotten about dinner while he talked with Will. “Oh. Right. I guess we should do that, huh?”

Will smiled. “Yeah, I guess. I’ll go order it. What do you want? One of those ‘life-changing’ burgers?”

Nico blushed. “Um, actually, I’m a vegetarian.”

“Really?” Will sounded surprised, which was fair. Nico knew he didn’t seem like the type to care about animal rights or anything of the sort.

“Uh, yeah,” he said. “See, my friend Jason is dating this girl, Piper, who’s been a vegetarian since, like, forever. A few months ago, she started this whole campaign to convert the rest of us. She started going on about how animals have feelings, too, and how they grieve for their family members. And, well, I could relate to that, so…”

“Oh, Nico, I’m so sorry,” Will said, placing his hand on top of Nico’s. His fingers were warm and soft, and Nico really enjoyed having them on top of his own.

“It’s all right,” Nico said, giving Will a small smile. “It’s been a long time.” He sighed. “I do kind of miss McDonald’s, though.”

Will laughed. “You know that stuff is awful for you, right?”

“I know! But it tastes so good!”

Will grinned and shook his head. His hand was still on Nico’s. Nico didn’t want him to go, but… “Um, Will?”

“Hmm?”

“Food?”

“Oh! Right! What am I getting you?”

“Oh, yeah. Um, a slice of pizza, I guess. Cheese.”

Will rolled his eyes. “I see the vegetarian lifestyle has really broadened your tastes. Are you getting enough nutrients?”

“What, are you my mother?” Nico teased. “We’re at Elysium, Will. Their vegetarian options are severely limited.”

Will sighed. “Fine. We’re going to have to do this again somewhere I can make sure you’re actually eating as much as you need to. Do you want anything to drink?”

“We’re doing this again?” Nico asked, a little startled.

“Yes, Mr. Vegetarian. We are most certainly doing this again,” Will said. “As a future doctor, I cannot, in good conscience, allow you to continue without ensuring that you are getting your proper nutrition. Besides, I’m guessing this class you have isn’t a one-time thing?”

Nico shook his head slowly, a smile spreading across his face. Will nodded. “Good. So we can make this a regular thing? Dinner before class, every Tuesday? Next time, you should pick a place with better vegetarian options, though.”

“Okay,” Nico said, with a wide grin. “I’d give you my number,” he said, “but I’m afraid you’ll write it down wrong.”

“Oh, ha, ha,” Will said. “You think you’re so funny, don’t you?”

Nico smirked. “I’m pretty sure of it, actually.”

Will rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone. “But, seriously, Nico,” he said, sliding his phone across the table, “did you really think I didn’t save your number the second you hung up on me?”


End file.
